Originally Posted by DeafLamb
1. Why do you commute by bicycle?
2. How many miles a week do you commute?
3. What are some ways bicycle commuting has impacted your life?
4. What do you do in bad weather?
5. How are you treated my motorists?
David Mills, from Calgary, Alberta, Canada
1. I commute by bicycle because I really enjoy cycling, and I enjoy the challenge [such as it is] of getting places under my own power. One of the criteria for choosing our current house was the fact it is a reasonable cycling distance to work. Also, parking downtown is $20/day, and I don't really enjoy taking the bus.
2. I ride 50 km/week. No, it's not much, but it's so much better than driving or riding public transit.
3. It has brought my wife and I closer together. We often will ride into work together, kiss goodbye while waiting for a light and then ride off in different directions. Also, I am in pretty good shape. The commute burns off just enough calories that i can get away with eating some questionable food without putting on the pounds. For example, I forced myself to ride all through the holiday season, and instead of gaining 10 lbs. like usual, I only gained 2 - and that's gone already.
4. Put on more clothes. I have a bike I ride when there's snow on the ground - it's a single-speed mtn bike with spiked tires. It's slow, but I can ride in virtually any conditions. When the ice is off the road, I ride my other commuting bike with skinny tires.
5. Motorists are pretty good [for the most part]. If you ride in a predictable fashion, they're more likely to respect your place on the road. I also concentrate on what's going on around me when riding. You have to be aware of where the cars are and try and make eye contact whenever possible. Signalling turns helps a lot, as does accelerating with traffic. I always cringe when I see a biker filter up to the front of the line of traffic and then hold the entire line up because they can't go more than 20 km/h.
Calgary [pop. ~1 million] is one of the most active cities in Canada. When you ask a person what they do, there's an even chance they'll describe the sport they're in instead of what they do for a paycheque. I think that helps to give cycle commuters a place here. Our co-workers think we're a little nuts, but there's a grudging admiration behind the awe.
